Tuesday, September 20, 2005

I’ve been married for 8 years, and this will be the sixth move. That’s a lot of moving. I’m a pro at this point. I know how to box things up logically by room so that unpacking is easier, and I know what things I need to keep at the top of the pile (tools, box cutters, essential pots and pans for cooking those first meals, cleaning fluids, Isaac’s video games) so that they can be accessed immediately. It’s still a pain in the ass. The worst part for me is that I have grown attached to my surroundings and being a person who hates change, it’s hard to say goodbye.

Things I will miss about Janesville/Mankato:

1) This little farmhouse that we live in, while it has its problems (see next list), is so adorable and I just love it. Our landlords just resided it and it’s now as adorable outside as it is inside.2) There are two parks right outside the door, and the school is within a 4-minute (slow) walk. 3) I have a huge clothesline in the back yard, and I love the smell of sheets hung out to dry in the summer breeze. 4) The town library is an old Carnegie building, and it reminds me of the library I used to go to as a little girl.5) The grocery store in town has wood floors and rows and rows of the essentials (but no tofu), and I don’t think there are many stores like it left in the world. It’s kind of like one of those general stores from the olden days.6) My good friends, Deb and Sue, both work at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and I will miss going to have lunch with them.7) Mankato has a good library, and I could always go up to MSU to look at journals (ok I’m nerdy).8) Both of the big supermarkets in Mankato have tofu AND organically grown produce.9) Taekwondo10) Minnesota Public Radio, one of the top NPR affiliates in the country is beyond great. I will miss it every day. Good thing they have podcasts!

Things I will NOT miss about Janesville/Mankato:

1) The mini-sized claw foot tub that we bathe in daily (we don’t have a shower), which I once adored, I now abhor!2) There is a stinky smell that comes from the downstairs bathroom no matter how much I clean it.3) This house has a closet dearth.4) I hate having to drive five hours to see my parents.5) Living close to the school has its disadvantages – when school gets out at 3, about 50 sixteen-year-olds drive past my house at high speeds and I’m terrified I’ll get run over one day. (Do I sound like a little old lady or what?)6) Mowing this huge lawn sucks. So does shoveling the huge driveway.7) Speaking of snow, this house is FREEZING in the winter and HOT in the summer.8) Janesville has a lot of religious psychos living here. (Sorry if you are one of the religious psychos. I don't mean to sound like a bigot. But I guess I am.)9) There is no place around here for me to go to grad school.10) The kitchen floor in this house is gross.